Private MD News

Milwaukee website turns to chlamydia education

Category: Chlamydia

A Milwaukee news provider has started its first Sex Week, an informational event it hopes will education its readers and local residents about chlamydia testing.

Specifically, the Midwestern city implemented the educational week as a way to address the "fluctuation in the rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea," OnMilwaukee.com reports.

"Our chlamydia rates have fluctuated from year to year in the range of 850 to 1,000 reported cases per 100,000 population. This represents about 9,860 cases of chlamydia reported during 2008 in Milwaukee," Geof Swain, medical director and chief medical officer at the city of Milwaukee Health Department, told the news provider.

Milwaukee has the highest rate for chlamydia in all of the U.S. cities, according to figures from the National Association of County and City Health Officials.

"There are some trends, but in general, risk for STDs is highest among people who have multiple sex partners or who don't use condoms consistently," Swain said.

News of this comes after last week's report about the HIV rate in the DC area reaching levels that rivaled some areas in Africa, where AIDS is known to run rampant.

Research has shown people who know their status from early chlamydia testing are more likely to seek out treatment.